John e



(No Model.)

J. E. HUNTER. GOUNTBRBALANGING DEVICE FOR OVER DOORS.

No. 541,234. Patented June 18, 1895.

WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES V PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. HUNTER, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR- TO'THE CUL'IER & PROOTORSTOVE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

COUNTERBALANCING DEVICE FOR OVEN-DOORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 541,234, dated June 18,185 5.

Application filed Aprill, 1895. Serial 1%. 544,023. (No model.)

have invented a new and useful Improvement in Counterbalancing Devicesfor Oven-Doors, of which the following a specification.

I have improved the'provision of a counterbalancing device forcontrolling the opening and the closing of'drop-doors for the ovens ofstoves and ranges, and for supporting the door when in horizontal openposition.

My improvement. is particularly directed to a construction whereby theconnection of the controlling and counterbalancing device, with thebearing-arm of the door, is rendered durable; to the provision of ahollow cap for covering said bearing-arm, its connections and theopening in the stove plate within which such connections operate, and toa construction whereby a crank-arm on the door bearing-arm, inconnection with a lug on the inner wall of the stove-plate, serve tosupport the door when turned down in horizontal position.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my improvement in oven-door openingand closing counterbalancing device, wherein Figure 1 is a side view ofa cooking-stove, the side plate being removed to show thecounterbalancing device in the flue-space in the position it occupieswhen the oven-door is closed. Fig. 2is a similar view showing thecounterbalancing device in the position it occupies when the oven-doorisopen. Fig.3 is a horizontal section taken through the bearing-arm ofthe door and showing the hollow cap covering the bearing-arm and theopening in the stove-plate within which the balancing connectionsoperate. Fig. 4 is a view of the oven-door side of the stove, showingthe manner of securing the bearing-arms of the oven-door; and Fig 5shows a detail of the bent or offset crank-arm and its stop which servesto support the oven-door. Fig. 6 shows the hollow-tongued cap for thedoor-bearing.

The counterbalancing device is arranged in the flue-space at the side ofthe oven and the door is connected with such device through an openingin the stove-plate at said fluespace. It is important therefore thatthis opening in the stove-plate be closed to exclude'the cold air fromthe flue, and the provision which I have made for the purpose servesalso as the means of securing the door in place and of iuclosing theconnections of the counterbalance with the door.

The bearing-arm's 1 and 2 of the door are mounted in hollow caps 3 and1, the cap 3 having a shoulder 5 by which the door is supported at thatend when turned down. The co-operating provision for supporting theother end of the doorI will presently describe in connection with acounterpoise device.

To the oven wall 6 in the flue space, is pivoted a weighted lever 7, itspivoted end 8 being next to the door-plate. One of the bearing-arms 2 ofthe oven-door 9 has a shouldered part 10 of square cross section, and onthis square part of the bearing-arm is secured a short arm 12 like acrank, in position in line.

with the door. An arm or rod 13 has pivotal connection with the end ofthe crank-arm. and with the weighted lever, at a point about the middleof its length, which relation is such that when the oven door is closed,the crankarm will stand down and the weighted arm will hang on adownward incline so as to press its connected crank-arm outward and thedoor thereby inward, to keep it closed tightly, the weight of the armbeing adj usted for this pur: pose and for counterbalancing the door inits opening and in its closing movements. The pivot connected end of thecrank-arm stands ofiset to its bearing connected end so that thisoffsetend moves in a vertical path nearer the oven wall, which has a luglet against Which the crank-arm abuts when the door is open and firmlysupports the door in such position. The crank arm in its function ofsupporting the door when open, dispenses with the usual external lugused for that purpose. The hollow cap 4 is formed with a tongue 15 whichsets in a recess or groove 16 in the bottom plate and is secured by ascrew 17 to the vertical stove-plate. This cap forms the bearing for thedoor 2, a cover for the opening 18 within which work the counterpoiseconnections with the door, and it serves to secure the door fromcdgewise movement on its bearing arms, the hollow cap 4 for this purposefitting between the shoulders 19 and 20 on the bearing 2 of the door, asseen in Figs. 3 and 6. A cotter-pin serves to secure the crank-arm inplace on the bearing-arm against the shoulder 20. I

It is important to so relatively connect the weighted arm and thecrank-arm that when the door is open and supported in horizontalposition by the crank-arm and its coacting lug, the weighted-arm will beraised and the position of its connecting-rod will be such as to exert aforce upon the crank-arm in a horizontal line with the door, whereby theWeight will not act to close the door until the latter is started upwardfrom its horizontal position. The weighted-arm and the door are soevenly balanced as to hold the door in partial open position.

The oven wall has ribs 21 which form bearings for the Weighted arm, andprevent it. from wabbling in its vertical movements with the opening andclosing of the door. Cotter-pins connect the pivots of the counter-poiseparts.

It will be understood that shoulder 5, the crank-arm 1 2 and the lug 14,aredisposed so that they will act together to firmly support the door ateach end when turned down.

The arrangement of the lug and the short crank-arm gives a very strongsupport for the door close to its bearing and the advantage of utilizingthe short crank-arm as the means of both connecting the weighted-leverand engaging thelug. V

Iclaim as my improvement 1. The combination of a vertically swingingoven-door the bearingarm whereof has a fixed crank-arm, the pivotedweighted-arm, and the arm or rod connecting the crank-arm and theweighted-arm, with a lug projecting horizontally from the inner wall ofthe stove-platein such relation to said crank-arm as to engage itsweight connecting end in the Way and for the purpose stated.

2. The combination of'a vertically swinging oven-door the bearing-armwhereof has a crank-arm, and a counterbalancing lever for the doorconnecting said crank-arm, of a lug or projection arranged between thepivoted end of said lever and the said crank-arm, whereby thelatter iscaused to engage said lug.

3. The combination of a vertically swinging oven door, hollow capsconfining the door bearing-arms, the cap 3 having a shoulder 5 forsupporting thatend of the door,the cap4 engaging shoulders 19 and 20 onthe bearingarm 2 and stepped or seated into the baseplate of the stove,a crank-arm 12 on said bea1-ing ar|n 2, a lug 14 on the oven-wall in thepath of the crank-arm for supporting the door when open, and suitablecounterbalancing devices connecting said crank-arm, substantially asdescribed.

v JOHN E. HUNTER. Witnesses:

RICHARD A. C LTER, HENRY G. MORSE.

